valentine funfetti blondies

So apparently I'm clumsy in the kitchen.  Enough that my dog has noticed, and when I'm in there, his permanent spot is in between my body and the counter.  Yeah, it's pretty convenient.  He eats whatever I drop - spinach, celery, carrots - he has no problem eating anything.  This time, he got to feast on quite a few heart shaped sprinkles as I spilled them all over the place making these delicious blondies.  I mean, sprinkles are good for dogs, right?

Blondies. So delicious, I may even like them more than brownies.  I searched and searched for a funfetti blondie recipe to use up the last of my Valentine stash, but all the recipes were for cake batter blondies, which just wasn't what I wanted.  I finally decided to just go with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, because I've never had a recipe from her that wasn't perfect!  They turned out great, and with only 5 ingredients for the basic recipe, pretty easy as well.  If you have some sprinkles that you're dying to use, or you're just in the mood for a cute and festive treat, make these funfetti blondies!

Valentine Funfetti Blondies
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
½ cup Valentine sprinkles

Directions:
Butter an 8x8 pan.  Mix melted butter with brown sugar and beat until smooth.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Add salt, stir in flour, and mix in sprinkles.

Pour into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until set in the middle.  Cool before cutting, at least 30 minutes.  (I let mine cool for an hour and they still needed some time to set.)

Source: Smitten Kitchen - look at her post for more ideas on adapting these!

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southwestern stuffed peppers

Do you ever not feel like eating something after you make it?  Oh, that's just me?  Sometimes after I spend an hour or so in the kitchen, I just don't feel like eating what I've been smelling for the past hour.  It's like I already ate it once and the real thing just isn't interesting anymore.  (Strangely, this does not happen to me with anything involving chocolate.)

If you're like me, then you need recipes that don't take long enough for you to get uninterested in actually eating some protein.  My sister Julie introduced me to this one in December and it's become a quick favorite!  It's delicious, comes together in less than 10 minutes, and it makes great leftovers too. 

This recipe makes enough to stuff 4 whole peppers (8 halves), and you can customize however you like. (Obviously I'm not the customizing police so you didn't need my permission for that one.)

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers, any color
1 pound lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Uncle Ben's 90 second whole grain rice (or 1-2 cups rice), cooked
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Rotel, drained
8 slices colby jack cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a skillet, brown the ground beef, then drain excess fat.  Add taco seasoning to ground beef and stir to coat.  Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine beef, rice, beans, and Rotel; mix to combine. Remove the stems from the bell peppers and then slice in half from stem to base (hotdog style!), making sure to remove the seeds. Stuff the pepper halves with the ground beef mixture.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and then place each pepper half, stuffing side up, in the dish.  Bake for about 20 minutes, then add the slices of cheese on top of each pepper and bake again until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Source: inspired by Simply Love Food

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honey-orange pork tenderloin

On Monday, Lane told me that he doesn't really like chicken.  Oops.  I think that's the protein I use in about 90% of our meals, and the other 10% is ground turkey.  Then he told me that his favorite is beef, which I maybe cook with once a month.  Good to know after almost three years of marriage.  

Yesterday I decided to ignore his favorite again, but I wanted to try something different.  This honey-orange pork tenderloin was so easy and so delicious!  I don't have an oven safe skillet (I was scared to guess) so I did this in my dutch oven without the lid and it worked perfectly.  Although there are several stove-to-oven recipes I've been wanting to try lately so an oven-safe skillet may be in my future.  If you're in the market for an easy meal and want to get out of the chicken rut, try this!  (But I bet the glaze would be good on chicken too, hehe.)

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin (mine was 1.6lbs)
1/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic, I was out)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the marmalade, cider vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder.  Whisk together until well combined.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce and set aside.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven (or oven safe skillet if you're lucky) over medium high heat.  Salt and pepper the tenderloin while you wait.  When the oil is hot, cook the tenderloin for 1-2 minutes on each side until the outside turns golden brown.  Remove from the heat and pour about half of the non-reserved sauce over the tenderloin.  Bake in the oven uncovered for 10 minutes, then flip the tenderloin over, pour the rest of the non-reserved sauce on it, and bake for another 10 minutes.  

Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  I got a spoon out at this point and drizzled the sauce that was in the pan over the tenderloin.  Then slice into ½" slices and drizzle the reserved sauce over.  Serve immediately.

Source: Our Best Bites, originally from Cooking Light

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valentine party popcorn

Have I mentioned that I love Valentine's Day? Oh wait, yes I did.  I have a slight problem when it comes to "impulse buying" at the grocery store, so this recipe was a great way to use all the Valentine's cuteness I found. It's almost endlessly customizable, so I may make a football version for the Superbowl party we're going to on Sunday.  As soon as I figure out who's playing. :) 

The recipe as written makes enough to overflow out of two freezer size ziplocs.  I think dried cranberries or cherries and pecans would be fun additions as well!  It wouldn't be overkill to use a whole bag of M&Ms - that's what I originally planned to do - but let's not talk about what I did with them instead, ok?

Valentine Party Popcorn
Ingredients:
2 bags lightly salted popcorn, popped
4 cups pretzels, broken into pieces (not crushed)
½ bag Valentine M&Ms
2 bags candy melts (I used pink and white)
2 oz heart-shaped sprinkles

Directions:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.  Divide popcorn, pretzels, and M&Ms between the two baking sheets and toss to combine.  Melt 1 bag candy melts according to package directions, then use a fork to drizzle evenly over the mixture on both baking sheets.  Sprinkle quickly with half the sprinkles.

Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator and allow to set for about 10 minutes.  Melt the second bag of candy melts.  Take the mixture out of the refrigerator and toss, then repeat with the second round of candy and other half of the sprinkles. Chill again for about 10 minutes, then toss and eat up!

Source: inspired by She Wears Many Hats

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chicken and rice soup

I'm warning you in advance, this soup is not pretty to look at.  However, it is delicious, and Lane and I were both sad when the leftovers were gone.  I am normally pretty disappointed with homemade soups - somehow I always end up comparing them to dishwater?  But not this one.  It hits the spot on a frigid winter night and has earned a permanent place in my recipe rotation.  I bet it would be good with corn in it, so I'll probably add that along with a red pepper next time.  And maybe carrots.  And I'll double the recipe so it lasts longer.  Get ready to feel warm and full!

I promise it's good; I don't know why it is so green.

Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken and shredded it, didn't really measure)
2 quarts chicken broth
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 jar pimientos, drained

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions, until the water is absorbed.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat.  Add veggies and stir around until they are soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the chicken and broth and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes to let the flavors combine.  Add in the rice just before serving.

I topped mine with a little jack cheese for the picture, but the rest of the time I ate it plain and I think it was better that way!

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, originally adapted from Pioneer Woman

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valentines chocolate chip cookies

I think Valentine's day is my favorite holiday- but that might be just because everything is pink, red, and heart shaped.  My favorite!  I put our Valentine's wreaths (yes, plural) out just as soon as I took down Christmas, and I like to think the bright colors are keeping us out of the winter doldrums! I also have a small obsession with conversation hearts, but that is a story for another day.

I saw these Valentine chocolate chips at the store and thought they were a great excuse to make Lane's favorite dessert, so I got out the cookie recipe that I've been wanting to try for a while.  The recipe calls for melted butter, which is so much easier for me to accomplish than room temperature butter.  The dark chocolate chips made these cookies extra decadent, and I really can't eat more than one!  They are delicious, chewy, and so so rich. Perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk for an after dinner treat. 

Valentine's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups valentine's chocolate chips (or any chips that you like!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until combined.  Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll about a half cup of dough into a ball.  Holding the ball with your fingertips, break it into two equal halves.  Place onto prepared cookie sheet with jagged edges facing up.  Leave at least 2-3 inches between each ball (I fit 8 on a cookie sheet at a time but it was close.)  Bake approximately 11-14 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.

Cool cookies on cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes, until you can lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Source: Baking Illustrated

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baking resolution

I can't count how many times I've "resolved" (nowhere near January 1st), to bake less.  I associate baking with all the sugar, butter, etc that comes with it, so an easy fix to "get healthier" is usually to quit baking. 

To me, baking is a unique challenge - measuring everything correctly, making sure it all comes together in the right consistency, then making it pretty.  I don't know, it's different than cooking and I like it more.

So for this January 1st, I decided I'd stop trying to force myself to stop liking something, and take my love for baking to a more practical level.  I started yesterday with a loaf of homemade oatmeal wheat bread, and I've got some hamburger buns and tortillas on the way this week.

 We'll see how it goes, but while I have time (and nothing but time), I'm going to try to use my hobby for something besides cakes, frostings, and cookies.  Sounds like a fun project!

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